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Portland Breakwater Light (South Portland, Maine)
Portland Breakwater Light is a guardian of Portland’s
inner harbor. The light came about
as a result of breakwater being built following a devastating storm in 1831.
The storm wrecked havoc in the harbor, destroying boats, wharves, and
buildings and surfaced the need for a breakwater to protect the harbor from more
storm damage. A directive was issued by the federal government to develop
a plan for a breakwater. Lt. Colonel John Anderson and Lt. Poole were tasked
with the job of determining where a breakwater could be built and what it would
cost. A report was completed on October 19. 1833 in which they recommended a
2,500 foot breakwater in seven sections that required 50,000 cubic yards of
stone. They estimated a cost of $44,417.08. After a two year delay, Congress appropriated only $10,000
for the start of the work. During
the following two years more money was made available and by November 1837 a
total of 1,765 feet of breakwater had been completed and $61,000 had been spent.
The work stopped at that point and even though more money was asked for
each year between 1837 and 1855 to complete the remaining 800 feet, no more was
given. In March of 1855, funds were approved to build a
lighthouses at the end of the breakwater. It
was made of wood and stood 25 feet above the water with a sixth-order Fresnel
lens. It was lit on the August 1,
1855. There was a very high turnover of lighthouse keepers.
The job of getting out to the light was difficult in good weather and was
extremely difficult during bad weather. Due
to the insufficient height of the breakwater above the water, during high tide
the waves would break over the rocks leaving them wet.
This would freeze in the winter and at times the keepers had to crawl on
their hands and knees to get out to the light.
It wasn’t until 1872 that money was released to raise the level of the
breakwater as well as extend its length.
A keeper’s house was built out on the breakwater in 1889.
The two-room house over hung the breakwater on both sides.
In 1903 two more rooms and an attic were added.
Two hundred tons of riprap stone was added in 1904 around the light tower
and house to offer more protection. The light was electrified in 1935 and the light keeper’s
house out on the breakwater was torn down.
During World War II Portland became busy with ship building.
To provide more area for the ship building process the land around the
breakwater was extended out to the extent that the breakwater was one-half its
original size. It was shortened
again in 1942 to make room for dry-docks being planned by the U.S. Navy.
The result of these changes placed the lighthouse less than 100 feet from
land. The light was extinguished in 1942 as a preventative
measure during the war and was never re-lit. The light tower was sold but in
1985 was donated to the city of South Portland by Al Glickman of Spring Point
Associates. Twenty-six thousand
dollars was obtained by the Maine Historical Preservation Committee and in 1989
the lighthouse tower was renovated, including structural repairs and new paint. Today a park has been established at the lighthouse and is called “Bug Light Park”. This provides for parking and easy access to view the interesting light tower.
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All pictures are the original work of Rick Totton and are protected under copyright laws. Do not reproduce any images from this website without permission of the author. Copyright (c) 2000 Rick Totton.
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In
1874 construction began on a new lighthouse.